NORTHERN Ireland assistant manager Gerry Armstrong has been injured in a car crash ahead of this weekend's football World Cup qualifier against England, it emerged today.

Armstrong was in the back seat of a Mercedes which was hit from behind by a black taxi near Chorley in Lancashire.

His cousin's pregnant partner was driving when they were forced off the road by the impact.

All five people in the car escaped with bruising and minor back and neck injuries.

Armstrong told PA: "The policeman told us if we hadn't been in such a big strong car we wouldn't have walked away.

"We were knocked out of our lane and up to a grass verge from a static position.

"I dread to think what would have happened if I hadn't been wearing my seatbelt."

Collision

The former international, who scored the winning goal against hosts Spain at the 1982 World Cup finals, was returning to the team hotel in Wilmslow, Cheshire, after visiting relatives to give them tickets for Saturday's match at Old Trafford when the collision happened.

"There was an accident up ahead and we slowed right down. We were stopped for just five seconds when all of a sudden it was chaos," he said.

They were taken to a hospital in Manchester to be checked out. Tests were also carried out to confirm the unborn baby had not been harmed.

After being released at 3.30am Armstrong stayed with relatives and then returned to the team base for the morning training session.

He said his badly-bruised face provided the players with a distraction from match preparations.

"It gave the lads something to take the Mickey out of me when they saw the state of my head," he added.